Refrigerated case



' 1I ture including the outer Patented Feb.4 16, 1932,

Apiieatiea lied levantar 2 8, 1m

This invention relates generally' to provements in refrigerated cases, and particularly to an improved refrigerated case which includes a display compartment and a bulk 5 storage compartment, the vpredominant object of the invention being to provide a case of this type which is provided with a refrigerated V andbu storage com 1o Another object ofk e invention is to produce a refri rated'case of the'type referred to above which includes a common door giving access to both' the display compartment and the bulk storage compartmen the strucalso a secondary oor, operable through the door opemng closed by the comilnon door referred ftrg, wtllicl) the a compartm ont m e r ipaitment when access'is be' had to e l0 bulk storage compartment throug the openofthecominondoor.

ill another object of' the invention is to rovide improved refrigerating umts for reigerated cases which are so constructedthat surfaces thereof are substantially flat, whereby may be removed from said t units by the simple operation of brushing the ilat surfaces thereof with a sti brush, instead of de g in the common manner 1 nvolv- 00 ing discontinuing operation of the refrigerat ing units until the frost has meltedtherejects which will be apparent after careful consideration of this apglication and the drawings forming a part t ereof in which Fig.'1 is a vertical section talxenthrough the improved re rated case;l g Fig. 2 is a vertic Section taken on the line 4 2--2 of Fig. 1; and

- Fi 3 is a entary front elevation on a ducsd scale o the case in Figs. In the drawings, whereinV isshown for the 5 .purpose of illustration, merely, one embodiment of` the invention, A d ates the imroved refri rated case-as a whxole, said case provi ed with the usual insulated bottom,top, front, back, and end walls com,- mon tostructures of this ty The front and a bulk Storage 'artition for separating the display titionis su conductors structure which e I" ig. .1, or', if desired, The invention includes other important ob-v t .ens therein to provide a solid mass.

. substantially fills anni n.

wall includes as a part'thereof an inclined portion B, which is comlprised of a plurality of spaced layers C of as; or other suitable a transparent material.-

The interior of the case A is divided by' aV y compartment D partition 1 into a displa compartments, said partition referably being inclined downwardly fromt e back of the case to the vfront thereof, as 'shown most clearl in Fig.g1 The partition 1 compris'esa ho ow structure having -llat to bottom, side, and end'wall surfaces, ol1ow' structure preferably being formed of sheet metal or other suitable material. l-Arrangedwithin the hollow stru@` ture providingi thepartitionl is a conductor 2 which provi es a conduit for a refrigerant.

he conductor' 2 is arranged tortuously within the artition 1 so that the entire parject to the refrigerating effect of th frigerant passing through said conductor, and the opposite end portions o f said conductorsexten'd through wall portions of the partitions and are connected to other (not shown) which'conduct the" refrigerant to the conductor 2. The hollow provides the partition 1 is fluid-tight and a suitable'heat-transmitting medium is loeatedwithin said hollow structure. ,The heat-'transmitting medium may be in the form of a fluid, as su gested at 2 in said meium ma `be in he form of a suitableA material wliicli is poured into the hollow structure 1 and hardalso a, suitable gas may be employed within the hollow structure 1 as a heatftransmittingmedium. The function of the heat-trans' mitting mediumis to conduct heat frgm `the outer surfaces ofthe hollow structure in-` wardly to the'conductor. 2, where said heat is dissipated.- The eat-transmitting medium the hollow structure, the' l.

submerged or embedded therein, as the case may be, and said medium 0I is characterized by the abilit temperature for a considerab e period after therefrigerating means, of the case has been discontinued r The partition 1 is supported byv supporting 1 conductor 2 being toretain low 'i I surface thereof is a p uralit by a passageway partition byY spaced apart-'clips 13 Preferably erably is 1n the form of an elongated angle bar arranged as shown 1n; Fig. 1,; that is to say, the arrangement of the angle bar is such that portions ofthe end and bottom walls of the partition Ycontact with the legs of the an le bar so that said partition is maintained in its inclined arrangement without the ne'ed for fastening devices. The supporting element 4 is preferably in the form of a flat bar on which the upper end portion of the partition rests.

Supported by the artition 1 at the top of trays 8 for the foodstuffs which may be is layed within the dis lay compartment D ov the case A. Each o the trays 8 comprises a fiat wall portion 9, at the forward or lower end of which an angularly extended upwardly projected foot 10 is arranged. Each` tray/8 at its opposite side edges is provided with downturned flanges 11 (Fig. 2), which rest upon the top sur ace of the partition in a manner to cause wall portion 9 to be spacedlapart from the top surface of the partition, where- 12"for air is provided which is open at its forward and rearward ends. Thetrays 8 are maintained in place on the i which are secured to the tra s and engage the rear end wall ,of the partition, as shown in Fig. 1. I employ a plurality of the trays 8 arranged end to end with respect to ,each other, as shown in Fig. 2, but-1t is obvious that I ma .em loy a single tray if desired.

Secure l to t e inner ace of the frontwall l f the caseA is a strip of material 14 (Fig.

` stri 1) which throttles or controls the passage of air from-the display compartment D -to the bulk storage compartment s ace 7 between the forward wall of the partition 1 and the front wallpofwthe case A, thisystrip being fixed to said front wall of the case and overlying the forward portion of the top wall of the partition. The strip of material 14 extends longitudinally of .the ca se A from end to end thereof and is .provided with a plurality of a ertures 14 formed therethrough. I also emp oy a strip of material 15 which is fixed to t e front wall of the case above the p 14. The strip shaped that it extends inwardly and downwardl from the front wall of the case, said strip avin a portion 16 which is arranged parallel wit and in spaced relation with respect to the foot portions 10 of'trays 8, so`as to provide a space 17 for the passage of air `between said foot portions and said strip )which is arranged S through thev transmitting med connected together, ductors 25 are arranged of material 1,5 is sov suspended of. At the rear end of the partition 1 I employ a substantially triangular shaped element 18 which .extends longitudinallyof the interior of the case. This element serves to approximately close the space at the rear end of the partition 1 so that circulation of air within the interior of the case A may be ycon- 'trolled to better advanta e.

In the upper portion o the display compartment D of the case A I provide a refri erating unit 19, which comprises a plurality of. hollow structures 20 constructed in accordance with the construction of the partition 1; that is to say, each hollow structure 2O is preferably formed of sheet metal in a manner to provide a substantially fluidtight structure. The hollow structures 2O are spaced apart from each other so asto provide spaces or passageways 20 between adjacent hollow Vstructures and preferably said hollow structures 4extend longitudina ly of the case from end to end thereof, as shown in Fig. 2.

The refrigerating unit 19 is supported in place by a su porting structure which includes a plura ity of spaced elements 21, the opposite end portions of each of which are secured to the front and rear walls, respectivelyyof the case A. Also, the supporting structure for the' refrigerating unit 1.9 includes a plurality of members 22, one of beneath each element 21. Each of the members 22y is shaped to provide depressions 23,' in which the lower end po/rtions ofthe hollow structures 20 are seated, and the members 22 and elements 21 are conected together b bolts 24 which extend vertically through t e spaces 20 between adjacent hollow structures 20. low structures 20 has disposed therein a tortuously arranged conductor 25 through which a refrigerant 1s passed, and, as in the case Aof the partition 1, the hollow interior'of each hollow structure contains ium 25. The conductors hollow structures 20 are and preferably the conin direct communica- 2 within the parti- 25 in the various tion with the conductor tion 1.

26 designates a baille which is dis osed as shown in Fig. 1. This baleexten s longitudinally of the interior ofthe case A and preferably comprises a layer of insulatin material 27 which is covered b vsheet meta or other suitable material 28. i ebale-26 isI bgxspaced hangers 29 from angle elements 30- ed to and its function, as will presently appear, is to assist in controlling the circulation of air within the display compartment of the case A. A

Arranged within the bulk storage compartment S of, the case A is a refrigerating unit 31 which is. constructed in the manner of the A Each of the hola suitable heatthe front wall of the case,

refrigerating unit 19; that is to say, the rer-igerating unit 3l includesna hollow strucklo ture 32 in which tortuously arranged conductor 33 for a refrigerant is disposed. The hollow structure 32 is supported by a supporting element 34, and the interior of. said hollow structure contains a heat-transmitting medium 33 in which the conductor 33 is submerged. The refrigerating unit 31 extends longitudinally of the interior of the bulk storage compartment of the case A and,

preferably the conductor 33 thereof is in direct communication with the conductors 24 and 25 of the partition 1 and refrigerating unit 19, respectively.

In the rear wall of the case A I provide one or more door openings 35 which are closed by one or more doors 36 of the usual insulated-construction and arrangement. Therdoor opening 35, when one door is' employed, or each door opening when the case is provided with a plurality of doors in its rear wall, gives access to both the bulk storage compartment S and the displaycompartment D; that is to say, my improved case is not provided at its rear wall with separate doors for the bulk storage compartment and the display compartment. The door or doors 36mayv be of the hinged or slidin" type as desired, and said door or doors arg` of such height that free access may vbe hadI to the compartments above and beneath the partition l.,

Arranged immediately inside the door or doors 36 is one or more secondary doors 37, which close the rear portion of the display compartment D of the case A. The secondary door 37, or each of such doors when more than one is employed, is mounted for vertically sliding movement by havingits opposite end portions arranged in guideways 38 formed in vertically disposed elements 39 located at the opposite ends of the door 37, or each of such doors, as the case may be. Each of the guideways is provided with a shoulder 40 Fig. 1) at a point intermediate its upper and. lower ends, and the guideway above said shoulder tapers from a narrow width at the top of the guideway to a wider width at the shoulder. When the secondary door is in the position where it closes the rear end of the display compartment D the lower ends of the side ortions of the door, which. are arranged in tlie guideways 38, rest on the shoulders 40. rIfhis arrangement results in the seconda door being maintained in its elevated positlon, as shown in Fig. 1. When, however, it is desired to remove the secondary door from its elevated position, as when it is desired to gain access to the displaypcompartment D, the knob 41 onthe secondary door is gras ed and the lower portion of said secondary oor is moved rearwardly so as to Lremove the lower portion of the secondary door from the shoulders 40. The

display compartment will l 44 which rest upon the shown inFig. 3, the longitudinal space of the i wardly to the portions of the guideways 38 located beneath the shoulders, whereby'the be free from obstruction at itsrear endjand the secondary door will be disposed at the rear of the bulk storage compartment, of the case A.

Arranged longitudinally of the interior of the bulk storage compartment S is a air of trackways42 which are, supported yl the front and rear walls of the case A. The trackways {l2-support a plurality of trays 43 for sliding movement longitudinally of the' bulk storage compartment IS, said trays bep-8o,

ing provided with suitably arranged rollers trackways 42. As

bulk storage compartment S occupied by the trays 43 ssubstantially less than the entire llongitudinal `space of said compartment, hence it is possible to shiftthe trays longitudinally ofthe bulk storage compartment so as Ato permit free access to the lower portion of said compartment.' The trays 43 are intended to receive foodstuffs for which there is a demand at all times, but when slower moving foodstuffs contained in the lower` portionfof the v4bulk storage compartment. are desired, it is necessary merely to shift the trays so that access may be had to the desired articles;- r f In the use of my improved refrigerated case therefrigerated partition l, which separates the display compartment and the hulkl storage compartment, provides an eilicie'ntV refriger- 4 ating unit for both ofi/said compartments, and while I employ also the refrigerating units l 19 and 31 in' addition to the refrigerated partition, these latter refrigerating units are not absolutely essential and in many cases may be dis ensed with. During operation of the case illustrated in Fig. 1, air is circulated through the displayY compartment and through the bulk storage compartment in a manner which is perfectly obvious, the circulation of air in the display compartment being such'that the warmer air passes upwardly along the front of said compartment and moves over the upper edge of the baffle 26 to the top 'of the refrigerating unit 19, whence said air passes downwardly through the passageways 20,.where its temperature is substantially reduced. The function of the secondary door 37 is to prevent warm airfrom rushing into the display compartment, when the door 36 is opened to gain access to the bulk storage compartment, and fogging the inner face of the transparent portion C of the front wall of the clase, as said secondary door acts as a baille which prevents such inrush of its warm air. Also, the strip of material 15 preposition;v jI`his feature ofthe invention is important as such Warm air would move against the inn'eri f ace'of the transparent portion of the front wall and fog the same. The pasp sageways 12 and 17 provide a passageway for the circulating air within the display compartment, Whichfcauses some of said air to pass along a path Where the trays 8 are subjected to maximum refrigerating efficiency of7 said air. The purpose of the element 18 is to` prevent air vwithin the display compartment from freely moving downwardly into the bulk storage compartment. The strip ofimaterial 14L serves to control the passage of air 15 from the display compartmentv to the bulkJ storage compartment, as this strip of material is provided with apertures in such number as to permit liust the desired amount of air to y passfrom said display compartment to said bulk storage compartment. In otherwords,

if the use of the case be such that it is necessary to permit a substantial amount of cold air to pass from the display compartment t'o the bulk storage compartment, a greater num- 25 ber of apertures will be provided in the strip 14 than would be the case if less cold air were required to pass from the display compartment to the bulk storage compartment. In this manner the passage of cold airfrom the display compartment to the bulk storx'ge compartment is absolutely controlled. ien desired the strip 14 may be imperforate so as to prevent any passage of air from the display compartment to the bull;` storage compart- An important feature of the invention resides in the fact that all of the refrigerating units, that is, the partition 1 and the refrigercompartment, said secondary door being movable from a position' where it closes t e' di'splay compartment to a position Where it substantially closes the bulk storage compartment.

play compartment anda bulk storage compartment, a refrigerated partition separating said compartments from each other, and a supporting medium for articles "displayed within said displaycompartment, said supy v'm 3.. A refrigeratedcase comprising a dis-v porting medium being supported by said ree frigerated partition and being maintained in spaced relation with respect thereto to provide `a passagewaybetvveen said patitioni and said supporting medium for circulating air within the display compartment.

4. A refrigeratedcase comprising a display I compartment having a transparent Wall portion and a bulk storage compartment, a par-y tition separating said compartments, :a'common door for givingaccess to both of said compartments, and baiiie means for preventmg passage of-alr from sa'id bulk storage compartment to a point within said display compartment adjacent to the location of the transparent wall portion thereof when said door is operated. g

In testimonyv that I claimthe foregoing I hereunto aflix my signature.

DONALD E. RUTISHAUSER' ating units 19 and 31, are provided with sub- A.

40 stantia'lly fiat outer surfaces capable of being brushed v vithl a brush having stiffbristles for the purpose of remov1ng""frost therefrom.vf

This entirely eliminates the'necessity for discontinuingy the operatlon of the refrigerating units of the case for the purpose of defrosting,

. as heretofore.

Iclaim: V1. A refrigerated case comprising a display L compartment -anda bulk storage `compartment, a partition separating said compartments from each other, a door through which `access may be had'toboth of said compart- 'ments, a-secondary door arranged to close said A display compartment When'access is being had to'fsaid bulk storage compartmentzand means for supporting said door \for sliding movement. 1 Y

'2. A refrigerated case comprising a display ycompartment and a bulk storage compartment, a partition separating" said compartments from each other, a cominon door vthrough which access may be had Ito both of said compartments,v and a secondary door ar r ranged to close saiddisplay compartment' i lao "3 when access is being had to said bulk storage I 

